Task Name: The Wingless Dread! An uncrowned KingTier: 1NPC or PC: NPCLocation: SkypieaCrew, Team, or Personal: PersonalDescription: Bazel tries to make more of the Prophecy all the while Kash and Faust are introduced to Dread a man who has a cult following his every whim.Enemy Details: 50 Tier 1 MenBoss: N/A

Through the forest walked the the remainder of Bazel's crew along with Asad and his men. Kash was still in the back as the troops were lead by Faust who was besides Asad who was talking his ear off. "So you come from the land below my friend?" said Asad with his signature smirk, it was a very nefarious smirk but it always gave off the right impression. "Yea, I come from a place that is particularly cold at all times, my captain though.. He's from a warmer place" said Faust who spoke of Bazel as if he wasn't with the crew anymore. It was obvious his captains fate was weighing heavily on him considering if Bazel didn't make it the crew was based for him and Kash to take care of now. "Captain you say? Is it the woman in the back?" asked Asad. Faust looked shocked considernig he said a man "No she isn't the captain, our captain got caught in the stream first, we were hoping you maybe found him" said Faust who spoke with a bit of confidence in his words "Sadly all of our search parties only found you. However my leader would be more than willing to help you find your friend"

Faust looked to the sky and sighed, he knew it was going to be awhile before the crew found their way back to Bazel. "Ah, we're here" said Asad as he saw the village gates up ahead. As they opened Asad turned back to the crew "Welcome, to Dread's Kingdom!" said Asad as delightful as ever opening the gates revealing a gorgeous village filled with reaches and streams of water. Kash herself was even astonished at the beautiful world that had been painted to her eyes. "Not bad" she would say as she watched the rest of the crew have their fun taking in what they saw. "Sir Dread will be with you two soon. He does indeed want to pick your brains about your time on the ground world." said Asad as the crew had made themselves at home taking seats and various trays of food which were handed to them. It had been an entire fiscal day since they had arrived here "Please, I'll show you both to your quarters where you can rest and freshen up before dinner with my lord" said Asad as he began to walk with Kash and Nick to their quarters.

Walking in the office of Cesar's Bazel noticed nothing but relics that looked like they were older than his devil fruit. He was stunned by how amazing this office actually looked, what it housed could support Bazel well into his later days in life. "So, you wanted to talk to me?" said Bazel to Cesar as he was still confused at what exactly was going on. Cesar was walking ever so slowly with his sword that doubled as a cane walking to his desk "Yes Bazel, I wanted to ask you a few questions" said Cesar before he took his seat behind his desk. Bazel didn't know what this was all about "Shoot" said Baz as he leaned against one of the wooden formations in the office. "Where do you get your ability to transform into a creature of flames?" wondered Cesar who asked Bazel this question with a straight face. "Hmm" said Bazel as he considered how he wanted to answer this question presented to him. "Lets see, when I was younger I went on a mission with my older brother we found this really interesting fruit which was burgundy with an orange stem. I ate it and it turned me into a flaming bird. Not much else I can say about it Elder" said Bazel who recalled the story as if it were yesterday.

Cesar who always looked as if he were up to something had Bazel wary of his intentions but that didn't deter the fire bird from being honest. "I see.." said Cesar. Bazel would stop leaning on the structure "Be honest with me Elder, what's going on with you guys being so freaked out by my abilities?" asked Bazel with a stern voice, he was starting to grow a bit annoyed and he wanted answers for the situation. "You see, we are in a war with a man named Dread, and a prophecy from long ago spoke of a man who's wax wings were caught in the flames of the sun and burned. He fell in the water before he could save the people of Skypiea." Bazel looked at Cesar a bit confused. "The sun?" wondered Bazel "Indeed, I believe your fruit is of the great Bennu which is a herald to the sun. Bazel you are a reincarnation of a great Skypiean Warrior" Bazel was shocked at the revelation set out just now "So I'm suppose to fight this Dread guy or whatever?"wondered Bazel who didn't come here to be some ancient protector but it was plausible considering the stream came from nowhere. "That is left to be seen young Bazel. But for now, Sadie mentioned to me you had some friends you wanted to look for? We should put you two and a group of our best men on that" Bazel smiled gleefully as he was more than eager to find his crew, often he didn't smile a lot but his crew was important to him "Thanks, Elder. I appreciate it" Bazel would shade Cesar's hand before walking out of the room. "You leave shortly" said the elder to the fleeing Bazel

As she slept the night sky crept in silence as Kash knew later within the day she would be meeting this Dread figure. She hoped he knew some answers regarding how the upstream came to be at that point in time along with helping the crew find their way back to Bazel. A knock on her door awoke Kash who had gotten her fair share of sleep, she'd come to the door all clad in her dark clothing and on the other side of the door was Asad "Hello Kash, dinner is ready" said the assistant to Dread, Kash with her blank facial expression let up a slight smile while replying "Thank you" she'd proceed to grab her blades and exited the room with Asad. "Please Kash, you don't need your weapons. We're simply going to dinner" said Asad who was pleading with the woman "With all do respect Asad, my own brother has tried to kill me before, I don't take chances" said Kash as she continued to walk with Asad. She wasn't lying, her brother Asher was a sadistic man who has tried his luck with Kash on numerous occasions. "Well, when you say it like that Kash I understand" joked Asad.

When the duo had walked past this cliff Kash noticed a gold tomb of some sorts towards the bottom of the formation "Hmm" uttered Kash which grabbed Asad's attention. He noticed the woman was looking at the fixture. "Ah yes, the Tomb of Icarus" said Asad who looked just as fascinated as Kash looking at the structure "What is it?" asked Kash who continued to look on "You ever hear of the winged man who caught flame and fell into the ocean?" asked Asad who was giving Kash a lecture on the history of Skypiea "Hmm, never heard of it" said Kash but in her mind she couldn't stop thinking about the flaming wings of her friend Bazel, she wondered if that was one of the strange reasons that he had gotten himself stuck on this island. They continued their walk until they reached a hall of some sorts where guards stood tall and clad. Kash examined each and every one of them as she walked into the hall and she took her seat besides Faust and the rest of her crew. This place was large and could house an army if needed. Once she sat next to Faust Kash smirked "Long time no see" Faust would say to her as she grabbed a chalice which had fresh sake in it.

Task Name: A Deadly Quarrel! Faust on The RunTier: 1NPC or PC: NPCLocation: SkypieaCrew, Team, or Personal: PersonalDescription: After Kash realizes what Dread actually wants she sets an escape route for Faust to go find Bazel and warn him of the impending danger. At this time Bazel and Sadie are looking for the Desert Star and his crew mates.Enemy Details: N/ABoss: N/A

The dinner was nice so far but they had just been treated to entrees so far as they awaited the arrival of their boss the man known as Dread. Eventually silence would fill up the room and the pirates knew something would happen. The room instantly filled up with men and women in garbs with fire strapped to their wrist. Kash squinted trying to make sense of this all but couldn't. Those who came in the room took formation before they burst into dance and song which featured the fire on their wrist. The crew of Bazel's enjoyed the dancing and singing and began to chant along with their drinks in hand. They would eventually split like a sea and open the gates for a man who featured gold laced attire and vibrant red hair, this man was Dread. When he stood center all of his men bowed, Kash gave a gave that told her crewmates not to bow for this man. They obliged to her request and continued to look on at the grand show. "Thank you thank you people" said Dread as hey walked forward with his golden chalice. When Dread reached the table one of his men lifted his chair and pulled it out, Dread would sit before the man pushed the chair back in. "Good to see my guest here, friends of the firebird are friends of mine"

Kash squinted once more towards Dread and wondered what he was doing, something was off about him. "We're honored to be here" said Faust to Dread. He was stuffing his face with food and enjoying his day oh so well. Everything felt off about this entire situation. Kash couldn't pinpoint what it was but something was off.

Meawhile

Bazel was preparing for a trip as he packed a bag of goods and bandages before he noticed the woman who had his eye right now come through the tent. "Where are you going" asked Sadie i a sad voice. Baz turned to face her as he closed his bag "To look for my ship and my crew" said Bazel before throwing the bag on his back. "I tried to tell Master Cesar but he wasn't in his quarters" said Bazel who was somewhat paranoid about that tidbit of knowledge. "Yea he usually vanishes this time of the month for work purposes" said Sadie. Bazel would look the woman in her eyes before tapping her on the forehead with his index finger before proceeding out the door. "I'll go with you!" yelled Sadie who got Bazel's attention. "Hmm?" she would come smiling running towards Bazel grabbing his hand, they were setting out for the crew.

In the woods Bazel walked with Sadie and the duo had no clue where they were going but Sadie had a vague idea of where Bazel landed based off the loud noise that came from an area roughly half a days travel. "So your crew, where are they from?" asked Sadie as she walked with Bazel through the thick forest. "All over the place, some come from the Blue's while most come from the Grandline." said Bazel as he continued to listen for the sound of his crew members. He wasn't exactly sure how long he was walking for but he knew they were nowhere near their destination, hopefully his crew had wandered off towards this direction. "And you're from Alabasta right? In the little news we do get I got that much!" said Sadie in an excited tone. Bazel began to chuckle as he responded "Yea, I'm from Alabasta. Didn't know that was news to people." aid the fire bird. He didn't know that he was that important that papers discussed where he was from and things of that nature. I guess that means the fire bird was coming up in the land of Piracy. It was then Bazel heard a rustling sound which ceased his movement. "What's wrong Baz?" said Sadie as the firebird was looking around. He would run towards the right as he noticed the rustling coming from there, what he found would leave Sadie stunned.

Meanwhile

The dinner was going well and everyone was eating and having fun. Dread was certainly a great host to those he housed this evening. Even Kash was enjoying the food provided by Dread's men and Asad. She was watching Faust entertain the masses with his quirky personality and horrible manners. She giggled as she would watch the crew have fun, she couldn't help wonder what had become of Bazel and what he was doing, if he even made it to the Island at all. This brought Kash to think of Leparo, him and his feline nose would have tracked her down already along with the rest of the crew. She looked up to the moon before sighing in relief he hadn't been here because he probably would have challenged Dread to a battle. It was then the thought of the two dueling came to the mind of Kash causing her to chuckle. It was then she looked at Asad and she whispered "restroom?" to which he pointed to her to the nearest one.

Kash made her way to the restroom but couldn't help shake the feeling she had about something being wrong here. She thought about the temple she saw and the artwork which featured someone who looked remotely like Bazel. Rinsing her hands off Kash began to think about everything she knew so far about these men who helped her. She noticed one odd thing about them that she never thought was a problem. They had no wings which wouldn't be alarming if they weren't on Skypiea. Kash began to think of why an army on Skypiea wouldn't have wings unless they weren't from here to which would make sense. She also realized they called Kash's friend the "Fire bird" which she never once specified to anyone on the island. Not even Faust had revealed that information. Turning off the sink Kash would dry her hands and proceed back to the dinner. "So I see this flying owl like creature just hovering over my ship. Talons all out and what not. I grab my spear and I shoot the owl right through its eyes. Lands dead on my ship" said Dread who was telling a story about his time at sea. As Kash came back towards the table Dread held his arms open in joy "Oi, Welcome back Kas-" he was cut off by a dagger flying towards his fork knocking it into the wall with the dagger holding it and the piece of meat up.

The men of Dread all got up and geared themselves to take down Kash but her crew had all stood up. "What is this meaning of this Kash?" said Asad who was incredibly angry with the woman. "That painting, the one with the man with the flaming wings. What is it really about?" said Kash as she drew her sword from her hip. She was prepared to attack if needed but right now she wanted answers. "What do you mean?" said Asad who grew more and more annoyed by the woman and her antics. "No no Asad. I'll handle this" Dread would stand up causing Kash's crew to focus in on him instead of the soldiers. "You want to know about the connection between the painting and Bazel right? Well guess what. I don't care" said Dread before he put his right hand on the gold table which turned his body into gold. From there he'd punch the pirate nearest to him through the adjacent war. Kash would release a pressurized wave of wind with a slash of her sword causing a strong gust. "Faust go find Baz" she would scream after her distraction. Faust would nod before he took off towards the forest leaving Kash and the remainder of the crew to fight Dread and his men.

Task Name: A brazing Reunion! Anger of the Fire BirdTier: 3NPC or PC: NPCLocation: SkypieaCrew, Team, or Personal: PersonalDescription: Bazel hears everything going on in the forest and runs into Faust who is being hunted by a man named Hugo who works for Dread. At this time Kash is in a heated battle with Dread and his number two CesarEnemy Details: Hugo (tier 3) Cesar (Tier 3) Dread (Tier 4) 40 Tier 3 MenBoss: Hugo, Cesar, Dread

Faust would take off towards the forest with nothing but his clothing and a staff he picked up along the way. Behind him was Asad with several of Dread's men. "Hugo!, I call upon you, banish this infidel" Asad would say with his accent as Faust continued to run. He wouldn't stop until he felt he was safe which wasn't going to be for awhile at this point. Continuing his run he'd stop hearing all the people following him but it was then he heard nothing but branches breaking followed by trees falling which was capped off with a large battle cry which caused the breathing Faust to pick up his pace and find Baz. The large force in the form of Hugo wasn't just going to let Faust escape. He was chasing the young man at top speed and he wouldn't give up at anytime. Hours of running Faust had no clue where he was going. He would be heading towards the camp lead by Cesar but that was not known to him. At the same time however was his captain and friend Bazel, who was also making his way towards Faust.

Earlier

"Captain" said a fading voice from the ground. It was one of Bazel's crew members and he looked as if he were near his death. "What happened to you mate?" asked Bazel who was shocked to see one of his own in this beaten near death state. "An old guy saw me.. Asked if I was with you.. I said yea he took me down... He was so fast" said the pirate as he began to cough up blood. Bazel grew angry thinking about the man who harmed his own. "He was old?" asked Sadie to the dying man. "Bald dude.." said the crew mate once more as Sadie then looked at Bazel. "Yea, I know." said Baz as he stood up he nodded his head towards Sadie and she would close the eyes of the fading pirate before the two went off on their adventure.

Present Time

Bazel and Sadie were walking and Bazel was furious. He and Sadie both knew the man in question was Cesar and he wasn't completely honest with Bazel about everything he knew. The duo walked towards where Sadie thought she saw the ship "It makes sense now. Your ship crashed directly between our camp and Dreads. I guess that means Cesar is working for Dread. That doesn't make for anything good." Sadie was certainly concerned about what was happening, the idea of those two working together meant bad things for Skypiea. "Dread? Is he the one in charge of those men that attacked yesterday?" said Bazel as he examined the area. Yes, they've been attacking the village since Dread came years ago. We couldn't agree to his terms and he has harassed us since." said Sadie before Bazel and her both heard a noise up ahead. It was as if trees were being mowed down. Bazel would spring into action and take off running forward towards the situation at hand. Little did he know but his navigator Faust was just up ahead. And behind him was the creature only known as Hugo "The Hurt" a man who knew only how to inflict pain and nothing else. [color=#990000]That might be my crew!"/color] yelled Bazel as he turned back slightly to look at Sadie.

Screams filled the land as pirates and the forces of Dread collided. They were waging battle against one another while their higher ups did the same. There were swordsman being chopped down, gunmen shooting those who drew close to them. Blood filled the gorgeous marble floors that once housed the dinner for the crew of Bazel. Speaking of him he was still dealing with his things on the other side of the island. This battle here had waged on for hours and judging by the will of both sides it wasn't going to subside anytime soon. Dread was doing battle with Kash who seemed to be a more formidable opponent than he originally expected. Standing there with a smirk on his face and his hand forged of gold Dread showed no sign of damage but the person opposite him was the definition of damage. It was Kash and it looked as if Dread had indeed done a great deal of damage on the girl judging by the scars she was showing. "I won't lie to you Kash. When I heard my plans to draw Bazel to Skypiea had worked, I had only hoped you were smart enough to abandon him and join forces with someone more formidable." said Dread as he continued to enjoy his time against Kash.

She was breathing heavily with her sword drawn. Her armor was heavily damaged and she was riddled with scars across her body. "You're really annoying me with all the villain banter. For someone as strong as you I would have assumed banter was beneath you." said a smirking Kash who would spit up a glob of blood and aim it forward, landing directly at the feet of the man known as Dread. The battle between his men and Kash raged on all the while Kash took this as her chance to charge the man known as Dread and did so by charging him head on with a stabbing motion from her katana. A light step out of the way going left Dread dodged the stab and quickly wrapped his gold hand around the katana and grabbing it to throw Kash towards the adjacent wall to which she let out a scream of pain as she slammed against it. Kash would start to scrape against the ground as a means of standing up coughing blood up in the process. "You're right. It is beneath me, just as you are" said a smiling Dread as he methodically approached Kash with her own weapon.

Bazel continued to run, Sadie and himself pushing plants out of the way attempting to see what was happening. As they ran forward Bazel literally came colliding with a man who he would realize was Faust as he looked up. Bazel was never one to be over emotional but the look him and Faust exchanged as they were grounded was priceless. "Baz?" said Faust who had his eyes opened like never before. Bazel who was shocked to have run into his navigator just quietly nodded his head "Shit it is you Baz!" yelled Faust who would reach out and hug his captain while they both remained grounded. Sadie who was looking forward started to feel uneasy as she noticed trees falling "Um guys, I know you're happy to see each other, but if we don't move now.. This will be your last reunion" said Sadie as the duo on the ground would look towards where Faust came from causing the duo to jump up and begin running behind Sadie following her back. "Where is the crew?" asked Bazel as he continued to run with Faust and Sadie. A winded Faust who start talking fast "Oh, they're with this guy who really wants to kill you or something weird like that" said Faust who definitely had Bazel's attention now.

"What?" said Bazel as the trio continued to run. It was then the noise behind them stopped which caused them to stop running for the moment. "What was that thing!?" asked Sadie as she began to catch her breath. Then instantly the skies darkened as a creature jumped above the trio landing in front of them. It was a giant of a man and not a creature "I think you meant who, Sadie" said Bazel as he and the other members in his party would take a few steps back from the gargantuan of a man. He was easily double Bazel's size and height. "Oi, Firebird.. We didn't expect to get you today, I guess we have a two for one special" Bazel being who he was scoffed at what the giant had to say but had no idea what he was in for against this man. He'd charge the giant who was just a mere 10 meters away, jumping upwards Bazel would attempt a punch to the face which caused him to get knocked straight down into a nearby tree. It was then the giant turned his sights back to Faust who would grab Sadie and proceed to run. Bazel on the other hand was trying to pick himself up.

Faust and Sadie continued to run as the large man Hugo was in pursuit of the duo who were fearing for their lives. "I've seen Bazel lay waste to an entire army, and this guy just took him out in one hit!" said Sadie as she frantically ran worried about the man they were leaving behind. "Shouldn't we go back for Bazel?" asked Sadie as she looked back seeing Hugo knocking everything down in his path. "No, we're running just to give a little bit of time!" said Faust who had the right wrist of Sadie in his hand as he lead the duo running. "Buying him time? Buying him time for what!" said Sadie as she was confused. As for Baz he grew angry as he had his left arm on the tree he was knocked into. "Son of a bitch" said Bazel as he looked at the ensuing path of destruction left by Hugo. Bazel would begin to walk in that direction still holding his chest until he fully healed. Hugo still chasing the duo would let out a large roar "PIRATEEEEEEE. SURRENDER" yelled Hugo who was growing annoyed with the cat and mouse game. From behind came a rocking thud against the back of Hugo which caused him to stop running.

"What happened?" said Sadie as she stopped running and turned around. It was Hugo standing still as his face grew angry before he turned around revealing scars on his back filled with splinters. Looking down Hugo saw Bazel standing there with a smirk on his face. "You thought that was going to take me out?" said Bazel towards the giant "I SHOULD BE SAYING THE SAME TO YOUUUU" yelled Hugo as he came down with a double fisted hammer slam which Bazel easily dodged by rolling to the side before leaping forward hitting Hugo with a spinning roundhouse kick to the face. Hugo didn't budge much besides a light stumble backwards before his natural reflexes kicked in knocking Bazel away such as a fly in his face but this time Bazel caught himself by going leg first against the tree pushing off of it landing on the ground. Bazel would then proceed to dust himself off as he was 10 meters away from Hugo. "I guess if I want to defeat you I have to show you a taste of my training.." said Bazel as his body began to release smoke. The fire red haired pirate was about to unleash power never seen before.

The moisture around the area began to dampen as the trees began to start burning without visible flames. Sadie and Faust began to sweat wondering what this sensation was. Bazel on the other hand stood there staring at Hugo who was beginning to sweat also. "WHAT'S GOING ON FIREBIRDDDD?" said Hugo who wasn't enjoying the heat that filled the area. "This is my power.." said Bazel as you could see his irises were yellow. "Wow, what is this power he has" said Sadie as she looked on in amazement. Faust smiled knowing this was the power of his friend and captain Bazel. "I told you, we were buying him time. Never doubt the captain" said Faust who watched on to see what Bazel would do next. Bazel would begin to lightly bounce up and down which caused Hugo to grow furious "FIGHT FIRE BIRD, STOP DANCINGGG" he yelled at which Bazel smirked and stopped moving "As you wish" said Bazel as he vanished causing Sadie and Faust to both blink, Bazel would reappear five meters from Hugo, he was mid-air at around Hugo's midsection. Bazel would vanish once more and reappear within striking distance from Hugo and just as you would guess Bazel cocked his right arm back throwing it directly into the chest of Hugo.

Bazel would knock the taste out of the mouth of Hugo as he went flying, Sadie and Faust both ran Sadie right and Faust left. They had to avoid the incoming Hugo who would fly backwards 15 meters before hitting the ground. Bazel was standing where Hugo use to be all the while Bazel was still bouncing. Sadie looked at Hugo than at Bazel and realized the power that the fire bird possessed. "He did all of that, and I didn't even see him move" said Sadie in her mind wondering what she was witnessing. "I've never seen power like this before." she would say once more. It was then Hugo would start grumbling and moaning before he stood up "NO MORE BIRDIE. NO MORE FIRE BIRDS!" yelled Hugo as he began to charge towards Bazel before releasing a wave of pure wind from his breathe. Bazel would put his arms up and stand his ground just barely being moved by the wind. "He is a fast creature for his size" said Bazel as he looked up from covering his face and saw the giant behemoth punt kicking towards Bazel at which the fire bird would go flying backwards knocked into the sky.

As Bazel went flying through the air he closed his eyes before his arms would catch flame turning into wings allowing for Bazel to catch himself and descend to the ground without harm. He would rescind his wings before once again launching an attack against Hugo. "GONNA EAT YOUR WINGS FIRE BIRD" said Hugo as Bazel appeared directly under him knocking the man high up into the air. 30 meters to be exact. Bazel would sprout his wings once more going after Hugo stomping against his stomach knocking the giant higher into the air with each hit. Bazel would wait until he was roughly 50 meters in the air before he flew above the giant rescinding his wings once more. Hugo looked like a lost puppy after all the damage he had taken in the air. Bazel would then watch as his right arm began to fill up with flames before unleashing a barrage of punches against the chest of Hugo going from the sky to the ground. A cloud of smoke would appear from the landing caused by Hugo, knocking dust and wind backwards where Faust and Sadie shielded their eyes. Faust would start running towards the crash zone where he would cough loudly "Oi Baz" he would say. Coughing in the rubble was Baz himself "I'm okay" he would say as the smoke cleared and revealed a Knocked out Hugo on the ground. "Let's get you back to the village Faust" said Sadie who would look at the two men before leading the way back. As for Baz he would be helped by Faust back towards the village.

Meanwhile Kash had raged on in battle for nearly a day now and fought against the power of Dread for as long as she could. She had a sword on her leg and she was bleeding out from a gash on her left rib cage. "You truly are like your brother. A twisted individual who thrives off this environment" said Dread as he was genuinely happy in what he was experiencing through battle with Kash. It was then a man coughed not far from Dread and got his attention. Turning Dread realized who the man was "Ah, Cesar! good to see you my friend. Do you have something for me?" said Cesar who looked at Kash. "Yes I do." Cesar would reveal a device which was being held by his guards. "Thank you" said Dread but Cesar still looking at Kash would approach the woman. "Put her in a cage. We kill her we have to deal with her brother. Not a problem I want" said Cesar who would kick the woman square in the face knocking her out cold. "Where is Hugo?" said Cesar who looked around "He went to go retrieve the navigator. He escaped when all of this started" said Dread who looked at all of Bazel's men defeated. "Lets go" said Cesar as his dragged Kash off and the rest of Bazel's men.